Co-founder of Satanic Temple Proposes After School Satanic Club in USA's Cities

A religious organization in USA known as Satanic Temple which has been waging religious battles along a variety of fronts in the United States of America, and which its co-founder says it's just getting started, has proposed 'After School Satan' club in elementary schools from Oregon to Georgia where evangelical Christian 'Good News Clubs' are operating.

Satanic Temple's Co-founder Lucien Greaves said the members are also planning an open house for an 'After School Satan' club at an elementary school in Portland, Oregon, for some time next month. However, he maintained that there is no plan whatever to turn children away from their Christian life, but only to impact positive in their lives..

According to him, Satanic Temple  contains fun activities premised on critical thinking, reasoning skills and the scientific, rationalist view of the world.'

He said:

"We're not interested in turning kids away from their Christian background. We really want this to be enriching. We're not going to proselytize or make ham-fisted religious tirades.

"Our curriculum does not contain items of religious opinion. It contains fun activities premised on critical thinking, reasoning skills and the scientific, rationalist view of the world.

"I'd say it sends a positive message that it's called the 'After School Satan' club and that it's run by people who self-identify as Satanists,' he said.

He also said that the After School Satanic Club will help children think rational about the world.

'It's helpful for children to see that people can hold diametrically opposed religious points of view, but still be good, productive members of society, be noncriminal and friendly.

"The Satanic Temple has seven tenets - Personal autonomy, freedom of belief, scientific rationalism — those are really the core of the tenets,' he said.

He dismisses the allegation that their primary objective is to worship satan.

"They say very little about Satan or why you would identify as a Satanist. ... The tenets are meant to be universal

"One of the more common misconceptions for those unfamiliar with the group is to think they worship Satan.

"In fact, the idea of "worship" is antithetical to our anti-authoritarian philosophy.

"Devil worship implies a theistic point of view. We consider ourselves a non-theistic religious organization.

Lucien Greaves said that the movement is growing, and that they wish to reach all parts of the world.

"We're trying not to spread ourselves too thin. There's a huge demand for starting chapters.

"We're doing the best we can to keep up with the interest without letting it get completely unmanageable.

"It's a balancing act. ... Hopefully, it'll get to the point where I feel I can write a book about what we're doing and why we're doing it — the things everybody always asks about," he said.

The Satanic Temple has been the subject of much criticism — which Greaves says is due to misinformation.